A new venue was called for the Smithtown Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, March 22, 2011 at 7 pm. The move from the Admin building to Smithtown High School West is to accommodate the teachers who have been requested to attend by their union.
The union has sent out the call because the district is working on a new contract with the the Smithtown Teachers union-the STA. Last spring the contract expired and in June the union called impasse. Now they are all sitting down with a mediator. It is thought that the STA believed playing a waiting game would work in their favor as the economy turned around. It hasn’t. More and more cuts are coming our way and the unions leaders must be feeling the heat, now.
The district has been working on many issues lately, but hasn’t seemed to get down to actually making tough budget cuts. We think we know what the numbers will look like, but after discussing two referenda to change busing for both students in the district and private and parochial students; changing the walker area; and even pondering closing an elementary school; we still haven’t had a major budget cut. Well, the sports, health, and athletics department did cut $3.5 million from their considerable budget.
The numbers don’t equal the amount we must make up in lost state school aid and the rapidly rising contribution for retirement costs all heaped on top of climbing fuel, food, insurance, and well, you name it! Of course, good decisions must be made at some point.
Talk from the Admin has encouraged a big jump in school tax this year to rake in extra money to be used into the coming years of a tax cap. The Board (mostly) has tried to get big budget cuts, and a commitment to rein in spending. At the last several budget meetings there has been a spontaneous response from the average resident who is appalled by the district’s shenanigans.
So there you have the players–the Admin, Board of Ed, and the taxpayers.
Want to cheer on the taxpayers on Tuesday? Consider that your district may be next. Come on down, watch the show-down as the teachers union has its say. Oh, no contract? The Triborough Amendment covers the members with the old contract. Short-changed monetarily? Teachers salaries have doubled in the last ten years, and the STA received a 3.93% STEP increase.
New York State may make a 180 turn-around–Smithtown may do it first!
by Susie Schlomann 3/20/11
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